Subject: this bug dropped into my pond Geographic location of the bug: Noosa, Queensland Australia Date: 12/08/2018 Time: 06:57 PM EDT Your letter to the bugman: Found this guy on the surface of my pond – guessing it dropped from the tree above?? How you want your letter signed: Fi

Remains of a Centipede

Dear Fi, Your image is of the partial remains of a Giant Centipede, possibly Ethmostigmus rubripes. According to The Australian Museum: “This is the largest native Australian centipede and is a member of the scolopendrid family.” The site also states: “The Giant Centipede ranges in colour from dark blue-green-brown to orange-yelllow. It has black bands along the body and yellow legs and antenna. The body is long and flatterned with 25 or 27 body segments and 21 or 23 pairs of legs. The first pair of legs behind the head are modified claws which curve around its head and can deliver venom into its prey. The venom is toxic to both mammals and insects, but does not appear to be strong enough to kill large animals quickly.” We can only speculate on why you only discovered the posterior remains. Perhaps a predator like a bird or lizard ate the front end of the Giant Centipede.

Subject: Identify bug and if its bite poses a health issue to humans or animals Geographic location of the bug: Beaumont Tx Date: 08/12/2018 Time: 11:36 PM EDT Your letter to the bugman: This bug was crawling up the wall of my bathroom. The body was a little over an inch and with it’s legs about 2 inched. First, I would like to know what it is and if it’s bite could cause issues to humans or dogs. I have never seen this crawling creature before. How you want your letter signed: Debra Leger

House Centipede

Dear Debra, This is a House Centipede, a shy nocturnal predator that would rather flee a human or pet than to attack, but we suspect a large individual might bite a human who attempted to capture one with bare hands. Though House Centipedes are venomous, the bite is not considered dangerous and would likely cause little more than a localized reaction. Our editorial staff is perfectly content to cohabitate with House Centipedes, and we have a cat. In our opinion, the benefits of having a nocturnal predator that will eat Cockroaches and other unwanted Household Pests, including dreaded Blood-Sucking Conenose Bugs or Kissing Bugs and Bed Bugs, far outweighs the unlikelihood of a bite.

Subject: Inhuman Centepede Geographic location of the bug: Bloomington, Indiana U.S. Date: 08/02/2018 Time: 04:43 AM EDT Your letter to the bugman: I am just curious as to what this is. I found it in the stairwell outside of my kids bedroom. How you want your letter signed: Mista Jay

House Centipede

Dear Mista Jay, Though this is only our second posting of a House Centipede this year, it is still one of our Top Ten identification requests. We were amused by your sly reference to the cult film The Human Centipede, but because we try to run a family friendly site, we will not be linking to any articles on one of the most luridly gross horror films ever made.

Thank you for the information! You set my mind at ease. I apologize for the R rated reference. I could submit a more family friendly version if you wanted me to.

Heavens no. We don’t mind the reference, and as we stated, we were amused. We just won’t link to any reviews or articles about The Human Centipede.

I see haha awesome. Thank you! Again, thank you for the information. If I wanted to keep this lil dude as a pet how should I go about building a habitat for it to live?

As the name implies, the House Centipede has adapted quite well to living with humans. A small terrarium with a secure lid should suit is nicely. It will eat crickets from the pet store as well as most any insect or arthropod you introduce into the terrarium.

Dear Bri “mom” Schrader, It appears that this individual has two pairs of legs per body segment, which means it is a Millipede. Centipedes have a single pair of legs per body segment. If you found it in the creek, if might be drowned and dead, which may have changed its coloration. We searched the internet for California Millipedes and we found this interesting article on Myrmecos Blog that profiles a glow in the dark Millipede species, Motyxia sequoiae, and that states: “One nocturnal genus in this family, Motyxia, known only from California, does not display conspicuous coloration. These millipedes do something even more remarkable—they produce a green bioluminescent glow at a dominant wavelength of 500 nm by way of a biological source of light in their exoskeleton. Scientists have speculated that the emitted light could be a sexual signal to attract mates, or an aposematic warning glow to announce the presence of a cyanide-based chemical defense.” There are also images on Anotheca so we are relatively confident we have identified your species. We will be featuring your submission as our Bug of the Month for March 2018.

Thank you for your response! My husband sent my picture, but he got the story a little wrong. My daughter found it under a log near the creek in our yard. It was very much alive. Threw me for a loop. Have never seen a millipede that color! Thanks again! So cool to know what it is! Brilynn Schrader

Subject: Rhysida longipes Geographic location of the bug: Miami, Florida Date: 01/29/2018 Time: 01:06 PM EDT Your letter to the bugman: When visiting relatives in Florida last year, I helped my uncle move old boards out of an unused sandbox. Underneath one board there was a pile of large, greenish centipedes that scattered as they were uncovered. As an invertebrate enthusiast, I am always on the lookout for new species of arthropod to observe, capture, and/or breed, so I had a container handy and was able to capture a 3-4″ specimen that was slower than the rest. There weren’t any containers large enough to house it in safely so I had to use this yellow bucket until I found an appropriate one. I had hoped to find other centipede species in Florida such as S. viridis or S. longipes, but this one was clearly neither of those. After a bit of research I learned that R. longipes is an adventive species originally native to Africa and Asia that has now colonized Florida and Mexico as well. I thought I’d send this in so people could properly identify common giant centipedes, as many pictures of R. longipes from Florida are mistakenly identified as Scolopendra and Hemiscolopendra on other sites. As for the specimen I caught, she is now comfortably living in captivity and has regrown some of the lost antennomeres since these photos were taken. How you want your letter signed: lawnshrimp

African Longtail Centipede with Cockroach prey

Dear lawnshrimp, Thanks for sending your images of the introduced African Longtail Centipede, a name we located on FlickR where it states: “Though this exotic species has been found on occasion in Florida, all but one incidence was of solitary animals and it has never been considered an established part of the Florida fauna. Late in 2014, while on a scientific collecting trip to south Florida, we came across a large population of this species, which included juveniles through adults, on one of the main Keys. The animals had never been recorded from this area. Later that same evening, we located a large adult just outside of the Everglades National Park, representing an additional locality for this taxon. We wrote up a brief communication for this new, established member of the south Florida ecosystem for the Florida Entomologist which is currently in review.” We also found your images posted to Arachnoboards. Whenever we learn of an introduced species into an ecosystem, we are concerned that native species might be displaced due to larger or more aggresive introductions.